Tamper-evident paperboard food container

ABSTRACT

A paperboard food container includes a paperboard receptacle and a paperboard closure. The paperboard receptacle encloses, in an assembled state, a three-dimensional space in which a food product may be disposed and has an opening through which the food product enters the space. The paperboard closure is disposed across the opening, and includes first and second surfaces, one of the first and second surfaces, one of which has a tamper-evident region of weakness that may be irreversibly split to open the closure.

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent App. No. 62/991137, filed Mar. 18, 2020, which application is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

This patent is directed to a paperboard food container, and, in particular, to a paperboard food container that provides a tamper-evident closure.

It is known to provide plastic containers for food products that include a tamper-evident closure. That is, the container is manufactured in such a way that that if the container's closure is opened, it is apparent. As such, the closure is not necessarily tamper-proof (i.e., the closure is resistant to all attempts to open the closure in an unauthorized manner), but the closure provides evidence that the closure has been sealed and then opened.

One known plastic container that provides a tamper-evident closure has the following structures and operates in the following manner. The container has a rim with a lid joined by a web that extends from one edge of the rim. The web has a tear strip formed by two lines of weakness, such that the web may be divided into two sections if the tear strip is removed. The lid is pivoted about the edge until the lid received in and engages the container, at which point the lid cannot be removed from the container unless the tear strip is removed.

Such a container is convenient and provides a tamper-evident closure, but plastic containers can cause issues relative to manufacture, storage and disposal. Consequently, there is a need for tamper-evident packaging that does not present the same commercial and environmental challenges as plastic containers. On the other hand, a substitute for such a tamper-evident package cannot represent significant disposal or waste issues of its own, nor must the structure or use of the substitute be more complicated, such that user adoption of the solution is jeopardized as a result.

SUMMARY

According to an aspect, a paperboard food container includes a paperboard receptacle and a paperboard closure. The paperboard receptacle encloses, in an assembled state, a three-dimensional space in which a food product may be disposed and has an opening through which the food product enters the space. The paperboard closure is disposed across the opening, and includes first and second surfaces, one of the first and second surfaces having a tamper-evident region of weakness that may be irreversibly split to open the closure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a blank used to form a paperboard food container with a tamper-evident closure;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the assembled paperboard food container with the closure in an open state or position;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view of the assembled paperboard food container with the closure in a closed state or position and sealed;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, partial perspective view of a corner of the paperboard food container in a pre-assembled state;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged, partial perspective view of the corner of the paperboard food container of FIG. 4 in a partially assembled state; and

FIG. 6 is a side view of the assembled paperboard food container with two of the corners in an assembled state and secured to a wall of the container.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF VARIOUS EMBODIMENTS

A paperboard container according to the disclosed embodiments includes a paperboard receptacle and a paperboard closure. The receptacle encloses, in an assembled state, a three-dimensional space in which a food product may be disposed, and has an opening through which the food product enters the space. The closure is disposed across the opening and has a tamper-evident feature, such as a region of weakness that may be irreversibly split to open the closure. The closure includes first and second surfaces, and the first surface is secured to the second surface in a closed position or state, from which the closure may be opened only through the use of the tamper-evident feature.

It will be recognized that the paperboard container thus described may have many variants, relative to the shape and size of the receptacle, the nature of the adhesive (and release coating), and the nature of the tamper-evident region of weakness. The following is a discussion of exemplary embodiments of the container to further illustrate, but not limit, the features of the container.

Referring first to FIG. 1, a blank 100 that may be formed into a paperboard container is provided. The blank 100 has walls or wall sections 102, 104, 106, 108 that are joined at fold lines 112, 114, 116, 118 to a floor or floor section 120, and that each define a side wall of the paperboard container, as assembled. The adjacent walls 102, 104, 106, 108 (e.g., 102 and 104) are joined by corners 122, 124, 126, 128 (e.g., 122). When the corners 122, 124, 126, 128 are assembled, the opposite wall sections 102, 106 will face each other across the floor section 120, and the opposite wall sections 104, 108 will also face each other across the floor section 120.

The wall sections 102, 104, 106, 108 and the floor 120 define, in an assembled state, a paperboard receptacle about a three-dimensional space (or volume) in which a product, such as a food product, may be disposed. The receptacle provides an appearance similar to that of a bowl-shaped container (compare FIGS. 2 and 3 and FIG. 6), although the receptacle could be deeper or shallower according to other embodiments.

In addition, a closure flap 132, 134, 136, 138 may be joined to each of the wall sections 102, 104, 106, 108. In a particular, the flap 132 may be joined to the wall section 102 along a fold line 142, the flap 134 may be joined to the wall section 104 along a fold line 144, the flap 136 may be joined to the wall section 106 along a fold line 146, and the flap 138 may be joined to the wall section 108 along a fold line 148. As assembled, the closure flaps 132, 134, 136, 138 may be folded over (compare FIGS. 2 and 3) to prevent access to the three-dimensional space or volume through an opening defined by the edges 142, 144, 146, 148 when the container is assembled. The opening may be used to place the food into and remove food from the space (or volume).

In particular, the flaps 132, 136 may extend across the opening defined by the edges 142, 144, 146, 148 and overlap each other at least at the distalmost regions of the flaps 132, 136. Compare FIGS. 2 and 3. The flaps 132, 136 thus may define the paperboard closure referred to above, and in particular the flaps 132, 136 each may define one of the first and second surfaces of the closure.

It will be recognized that the other flaps 134, 138 may also participate in defining the closure as well (see FIG. 2), but according to certain embodiments, only the flaps 132, 136 (or the flaps 134, 138, see below) may be used.

With reference to FIGS. 1-3, the flaps 132, 136 may each have a region 152, 156 that is defined from a distalmost edge 162, 166 of the flap 132, 136 and that extends a distance from the distalmost edge 162, 166 to a point between the edge 162, 166 and the fold line 142, 146. The region 152, 156 is thus adjacent the respective distalmost edge 162, 166. One of the flaps 132 may have an adhesive assembly 170 disposed in the region 152, while the other flap 136 may have a tamper-evident feature 172 disposed along a border of the region 156. When the flaps 132, 136 are joined together with the regions 152, 156 overlapping, the closure may be secured until such time as the tamper-evident feature is irreversibly split to open the closure.

It will be appreciated that while one embodiment of the closure is illustrated in which the flap 132 has a region 152 in which the adhesive assembly 170 is disposed, and the flap 136 has a tamper-evident feature 172 on the border of the region 156, the arrangement may be reversed—the flap 132 may have the feature 172 and the flap 136 may have the adhesive assembly 170. In fact, it is possible according to certain embodiments for the adhesive assembly 170 to be disposed in the region 156 and the tamper-evident feature 172 to be disposed along a border of the region 156, with the flaps 132, 136 and the regions 152, 156 overlapping to secure the closure, although in such an embodiment the adhesive assembly would be disposed on an outer surface of the flap 136. Further, it is possible that instead the flaps 134, 138 may be lengthened such that the flaps 134, 138 overlap to define the closure, with one of the flaps 134, 138 having the adhesive assembly 170 and the other of the flaps 134, 138 having the tamper-evident feature 172. In the presently illustrated embodiment, the flaps 134, 138 are not long enough to overlap when folded inward, but only partially occlude the opening.

As illustrated, the adhesive assembly 170 includes a region of adhesive covered by a barrier in the form of a strip of material having a release coating applied to at least one surface which is disposed over the adhesive region (i.e., a release strip). The release strip may be removed from the adhesive before the flap 132 (and in particular the region 152) is attached to the flap 136 (and in particular the region 156) to secure the closure, i.e., to secure the first surface to the second surface. See FIG. 3. The release strip may be discarded after it is removed from the region 152.

According to another embodiment, the flap 132 may be formed with a barrier in the form of a tab that extends from the distalmost edge 162 of the flap 132, and which may be folded over to the remainder of the region 152 of the flap 132. One of the tab and the region 152 has an adhesive disposed thereon, and the other of the tab and the region 152 has a release coating disposed thereon. The adhesive may be a pressure-sensitive adhesive, such as the PRIMELT 3017 pressure-sensitive, hot melt adhesive manufactured and sold by Prime Blend of Wayne, Pa. (which may be used in the adhesive assembly 170 as well). Further, the release coating may be a silicone release coating, such as the SUNSYS VALLOGO V011 silicone release coating manufactured and sold by Sun Chemical of Parsippany, N.J.

With the tab folded over the region 152, the portion of the first surface having the adhesive disposed thereon (either the tab or the region 152) cannot be joined to the second surface (e.g., flap 136) to seal the closure. With the tab folded so that it does not overlap the region 152, the portion of the first surface having the adhesive disposed thereon may be joined to the second surface (e.g., flap 136) to seal the closure.

According to the illustrated embodiments, one of the first and second surfaces (e.g., the flap 136) has a tamper-evident region of weakness (e.g., 172) that may be irreversibly split to open the closure. According to the illustrated embodiment, the second surface has a tamper-evident region of weakness formed by two parallel sets of perforations 174 arranged along the border of the region 156, the perforations defining a tear strip therebetween. The sets of perforations need not extend from a first side 176 of the flap 136 to a second side 178; the sets may only extend part of the way from either of the sides 176, 178 to the other, as illustrated. Further, a reinforcement strip 180 may be applied to the region between the sets of perforations to limit the chance that the tear strip will only partially detach between the sides 174, 176.

In the alternative, the tamper-evident region of weakness could have been formed by a single set of perforations disposed along the border of the region 156, for example along or partially along a line. A reinforcement strip may be disposed between the perforations and either the edge 146 or the edge 166 to limit the chance that the tear will not continue along the series of perforations, but instead extend into the flap 136.

As illustrated, the flaps 132, 136 are rectangular in nature, such that the edges 162, 166 and the edges 142, 146 are of equal (or nearly equal) dimension from left to right as illustrated in FIG. 1. This need not be the case according to all embodiments. For example, the regions 152, 156 may be trapezoidal in shape, with a dimension from left to right that tapers to the edge 162, 166.

For example, the edge 162 have a dimension (length) that may be at least 85% of the length of the edge 142. In fact, the edge 162 may have a length that may be at least 90% of the length of the edge 142 measured at its longest dimension. According to some embodiments, the edge 162 may have a length that is at least 75%, or a length that is at least 95%, 99% or 100% of the edge 142. This is also true relative to the edges 166, 146.

As mentioned previously, each of the wall sections 102, 104, 106, 108 is joined to another of the wall sections 102, 104, 106, 108 by a corner 122, 124, 126, 128. The corners 122, 124, 126, 128 permit the receptacle to be formed from a single blank, while limiting the adhesive used and the potential that the corners will separate, permitting food disposed in the receptacle from exiting the receptacle except through the opening. While there are four corners 122, 124, 126, 128, one of the corners 122 will be discussed in detail relative to FIGS. 1 and 4-6, the remarks being applicable to the other corners 124, 126, 128 as well.

The corner 122 includes two corner sections or regions 200, 202 each of which is joined along a fold line 204, 206 to one of the wall sections 102, 104, and along a common fold line 208 to each other. The corner section 200 also includes a tab 212 that may be used to secure the corner 122 as assembled to an outer surface of the wall section 104, which outer surface is on the opposite side of the wall section 104 visible in FIG. 1. The tab 212 is separated from the corner section 202 by a cut 210 that extends through the paperboard of the blank 100.

In assembly, the wall sections 102, 104 are folded inwardly and inner surfaces of the corner sections 200, 202 of the corner 122 are folded toward each other. See FIG. 4. As such, the inner surfaces of the corner sections 200, 202 (visible in FIGS. 1 and 4) face each other and may even abut each other. With the corner sections 200, 202 facing each other (see FIG. 5), an inner surface of the tab 212 (visible in FIGS. 1 and 5) does not face or abut the corner section 202. The assembled corner 122 may then be folded about the line 206 such that the tab 212 and the outer surface of the corner section 202 faces the outer surface of the wall 104. See FIG. 5. The line 206 may be scored to facilitate the folding of the corner 122 about the line 206.

The tab 212 may then be secured to the outer surface of the wall 104. See FIG. 6. For example, an adhesive may be disposed on the outer surface of the wall 104, and the tab 212 may be secured to the wall 104 using the adhesive. The placement of the adhesive may be in the region 214, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 5. With all of the corners 122, 124, 126, 128 assembled, the paperboard receptacle will appear as a bowl or dish, as described above. See FIG. 6, and compare with FIGS. 2 and 3.

According to the exemplary embodiment, the paperboard container, as assembled, takes the shape of a generally rectangularly-shaped box with slides that slope outwardly from the floor or base, and in particular such a box with a flat closure, such as to permit the containers to be stacked on top of each other. See FIG. 6. It will be recognized that according to other embodiments, the container may not have a flat closure that permits such stacking.

It is believed that the paperboard container just described may have several benefits, one or more of which may be present in an embodiment according to the present disclosure. By providing a container made of paperboard, the container may be designed to be substantially (e.g., 75%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 100%) biodegradable, limiting disposal issues. By providing a container with a tamper-evident closure, it may be determined if the container has been opened after the food product is disposed in the container and the closure sealed. Further, in those embodiments that provide a structure that conceals the adhesive used to seal the closure using a joined section of the container, the waste issues caused by providing, for example, a separate strip of material with a release coating applied thereto may be avoided. At the same time, the simplicity of the use of the fold-over tab to conceal the adhesive aids the adoption of the container by end users.

Although the following text sets forth a detailed description of different embodiments of the invention, it should be understood that the legal scope of the invention is defined by the words of the claims set forth at the end of this patent. The detailed description is to be construed as exemplary only and does not describe every possible embodiment of the invention since describing every possible embodiment would be impractical, if not impossible. Numerous alternative embodiments could be implemented, using either current technology or technology developed after the filing date of this patent, which would still fall within the scope of the claims defining the invention.

It should also be understood that, unless a term is expressly defined in this patent using the sentence “As used herein, the term ‘______’ is hereby defined to mean . . . ” or a similar sentence, there is no intent to limit the meaning of that term, either expressly or by implication, beyond its plain or ordinary meaning, and such term should not be interpreted to be limited in scope based on any statement made in any section of this patent (other than the language of the claims). To the extent that any term recited in the claims at the end of this patent is referred to in this patent in a manner consistent with a single meaning, that is done for sake of clarity only so as to not confuse the reader, and it is not intended that such claim term be limited, by implication or otherwise, to that single meaning. Finally, unless a claim element is defined by reciting the word “means” and a function without the recital of any structure, it is not intended that the scope of any claim element be interpreted based on the application of 35 U.S.C. § 112(f). 

What is claimed is:
 1. A paperboard container comprising: a paperboard receptacle enclosing in an assembled state a three-dimensional space in which a food product may be disposed and having an opening through which the food product enters the space; and a paperboard closure disposed across the opening, the closure comprising first and second surfaces, one of the first and second surfaces having a region adjacent a distalmost edge thereof with an adhesive disposed in the region and a barrier having a release coating disposed over the region, another of the first and second surfaces having a region with a tamper-evident region of weakness that may be irreversibly split to open the closure disposed along a border of the region, the regions of the first and second surfaces overlapping to secure the closure.
 2. The paperboard container of claim 1, wherein the region of weakness comprises at least one set of perforations.
 3. The paperboard container of claim 1, wherein the region of weakness comprises a tear strip including at least two sets of perforations and a reinforcement strip disposed therebetween.
 4. The paperboard container of claim 1, wherein the paperboard receptacle comprises a rectangular floor with four side walls, each side wall joined to the floor along a fold line.
 5. The paperboard container of claim 4, wherein the first surface is joined to one of the side walls along a fold line and the second surface is joined to an opposite one of the side walls along a fold line.
 6. The paperboard container of claim 4, wherein first and second adjacent side walls are joined by a corner, the corner having a first corner section joined to the first side wall by a fold line, a second corner section joined to the second side wall by a fold line, and the first and second corner sections joined along a common fold line between the first and second corner sections.
 7. The paperboard container of claim 6, wherein the first and second corner sections each have an inner surface, and the inner surfaces of the first and second corner sections face each other when the corner is assembled.
 8. The paperboard container of claim 6, wherein one of the first and second corner sections has a tab, the tab configured to be attached to an outer surface of one of the first and second side walls when the corner is assembled.
 9. The paperboard container of claim 1, wherein the paperboard container comprises a rectangularly-shaped box.
 10. The paperboard container of claim 1, wherein the paperboard container has a closure that lies flat when secured. 